Golfer&#39;s glove



March 22, 1949. F. P. TRoccoLl 2,465,136

GOLFER S GLOVE Filed March 19, 1947 Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,465,136 GoLFERs GLvE Frank P. Troccoli, Watertown, Mass.

Application March 19, 1947, Serial No; 735,698

2 Claims.

This invention relates t'o golfers gloves and the object is to provide a glove which will not only protect the hand but will permit a more effective grip on the club without any constraint on the muscles or tendency to displacement of the club from a natural grasped position.

My invention will be Well understood by reference to the following description of the illustrative embodiment shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a View of the palmar side of a hand Wearing the glove; and

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the thickness of the layers being of necessity exaggerated.

The glove shown comprises a hand-enclosing sheath I of thin leather, fabric or the like, desirably, although not necessarily, having short open-ended nger portions l2 and having no thumb covering portion, being cut away at Hl along the ball of the thumb, and it may have an open back as is common in known types of golfers gloves.

On the palmar side of this sheath in areas to be described, I secure a thin sheet (herein shown as sub-divided and comprising portions IB and I8, hereinafter to be more particularly described) of coarsely alveolated resilient material, such as sponge rubber or cellulose sponge. I found a thickness of about of an inch to be effective. The description of the material as alveolated I shall refer to hereinafter.

The sheet of material as shown is sub-divided and comprises the main portion l 6 which extends diagonally across the palm of the hand along the line at which the club handle lies in use and corresponding generally to the locations of the .so-called head and heart lines on the hand, from thebase of the index nger at the left of Fig. 1 to the side portion of the palm on the little finger side at the right-hand side of Fig. 1. This portion has a distal terminal boundary (upper boundary viewing Fig. 1) ladjacent the proximal joints of the fingers and a proximal terminal boundary (lower boundary 'viewing Fig. 1) adjacent the ball of the thumb (the volar or thenar eminence). Separate pieces i8 are here shown as applied at the locations corresponding to the proximal phalanges of the fingers, in the example shown to all four fingers, of which the index and middle finger I consider more important, while leaving the finger tips free and in the case of a glove having open-ended finger cots as shown entirely uncovered so that their sense of touch is unimpaired. When the covering over the phalanges,

as i8, is separate from the covering I6 on the palm proper, narrow spaces 2S between the same are provided defining lines of fold corresponding substantially to the location of the proximal joints of the fingers so that no impediment is offered to the gripping action of the hand.

I have used the somewhat ponderous expression coarsely alveolated to contrast the material under consideration on the one hand from material only microscopically porous or on the other hand from material having a regular pattern of ribs or projections. The Word spongy alone might suggest plastic softness. The spongy material contemplated is a flat uniform sheet presenting a substantially smooth surface to the handle of the club. The openings therein are uniformly and indiscriminately distributed throughout the area of this surface. It may bend freely in any direction Without substantial resistance to the grasping motion of the hand and exerts a uniform pressure on the club handle. A particularly effective hold on the club is secured, due probably in part to the frictional nature of the material as such but also to the localized distortion of the voids and the vacuum or suction effect resulting therefrom. An easy but particularly firm grip is attained.

I am aware that golfers gloves have been provided along the palm and lingers with perforations which, besides providing for ventilation, are considered to have the effect of suction cups to increase the grip. I am also aware that gloves and particularly rubber gloves for Working with liquids have been provided with various kinds of upstanding ribs or projections either molded integrally therewith or cemented thereto. The provision in a glove of the freely flexible, coarsely alveolated and resilient material contrasts with these structures of the prior art and has been found to be particularly effective for the purposes intended.

I am aware that the invention may be ernbodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, as is in fact clear in several mattersv from the description itself. Reference is to be had to the appended claims to indicate those principles of the invention exemplified by the particular embodiment described and which I desire to secure by Letters Patent.

I claim:

l. A glove for golfers comprising a hand enclosing sheath having secured to the palmar side thereof a section of coarsely alveolated resilient material in the form of a thin sheet bendable without substantial resistance to the grasping hand, said segment substantially conforming to and overlying a diagonal zone of the palm extending from the base of the index to the central portion of the little finger side of the hand and having terminal boundaries adjacent the proximal joints of the ngers and the ball of the thumb.

2. A glove for golfers comprising a hand enclosing sheath having secured to the palmar side thereof a section of coarsely alveolated resilient material in the form of a thin sheet bendable without substantial resistance to the grasping hand, said segment substantially conforming to and overlying a diagonal zone of the palm extending from the base of the index to the central portion of the little finger side of the hand and having terminal boundaries adjacent the 20 4 proximal joints of the iingers and the ball of the thumb and separate pieces of like sheet material secured to the sheath, conforming to and REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,346,683 Reynolds July 13, 1920 1,979,130 Wiley Oct. 30, 1934 2,167,226 Wells et al. July 25, 1939 2,309,710 Patterson Feb. 2, 1943 2,393,298 De Laney et al Jan. 2, 1946 

